Often maligned and ridiculed, the suburban Soccer Moms have been the real foot-soldiers—and gas-pedal pushers—who have carried and car-pooled the youth movement in soccer that has finally come to fruition in 2014. Thanks to them, millions of Americans no longer need to be briefed on the nuances of the offside rule or about the meaning of stoppage time.

Today there are more youth soccer players in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world, except China. The Soccer Moms brought this about by supporting their kids through endless youth-league games and letting them grow into aficionados.

So, as the U.S. team hits the field against Belgium on Tuesday, take a bow, Soccer Moms. You did it, despite being stereotyped as social-economic robo-moms who should Get a Life. It turns out that you did something no one else could: You did more than anyone to put America on a level playing field with the rest of the soccer world.